The opulent hotel is one of the most famous in Hong Kong, catering to big names and famous faces - including the late Princess Diana. What’s it like to stay there? Emma Gleason checked in to see what all the fuss is about.
Mandarin Oriental has an impressive pedigree, and with 387 rooms and 60 suites - the presidential Mandarin Suite spans 292 metres - the five-star hotel caters to some of Hong Kong’s most important visitors.
Catering to business travellers and high-income holidaymakers, it combines heritage with modernity, and Cantonese pedigree with cosmopolitan flair.
With its location in the gleaming financial district and luxury facilities, the hotel is one of the best places you could stay in the famous metropolis.
Established in 1963, the hotel is located in the city's financial district and is close to myriad transit options. Photo / @mo_hkg
Location: The Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong is located at 5 Connaught Rd in Central, 40 minutes drive from the airport.
Perfect for: Business travellers and anyone wanting a high-end stay in the heart of Hong Kong’s business district.
First impressions: The steps are gleaming and staff, outfitted in scarlet uniforms, open the door to a foyer full of opulent materials and the scent of freesias (the hotel sells its own fragrance).
Check-in is smooth and staff are highly professional and very kind. They’re all outfitted in smart uniforms, and you can always find someone to help.
The lobby lounge was designed by Design Wilkes, and with sprawling upholstered couches and gleaming brass coffee tables (and a piano) it’s a great place to pause.
The luxurious lobby is a good place to kill time (and great for people watching).
Exploring the Mandarin Oriental you’ll notice art throughout the hotel, including the guest rooms, and many decorative antique textiles.
A large painting by the late artist Gerard Henderson hangs in the lobby (he created 14 other murals throughout the hotel), while above the stairs is a glamorous Venetian chandelier by Venini.
The room: I’m staying in a spacious Club Harbour View Room, which has a footprint of 40 square metres and a view of Victoria Harbour. It’s open-plan (excluding the bathroom), with a king-size bed with goose-down cover, desk, lounge chair, television and all the accoutrements you’d expect from a five-star minibar and wardrobe.
Harbour View rooms overlook the glittering Victoria Harbour and across to Kowloon.
Bathroom: Made from marble and very elegant. There are three different shower heads; the temperature is perfect - no tinkering around needed. The pressure is outstanding and there’s a built-in sink. My shower is appointed with Diptyque shampoo, conditioner and body wash, and among the comprehensive toiletries is toothpaste that comes in a tiny metal tube - very charming. There’s a bath, which is large and deep, and bathroom blinds for privacy from the rest of the room. Towels are plush and so is the bathrobe.
Facilities: The Mandarin Spa is famously good, and huge; it spans 2100 metres and three floors of the hotel, with nine treatment rooms, Chinese herbal steam room and a radiant heated tepidarium. There’s also a salon and a barber, so whether it’s a haircut you need or a holistic massage, you’ll find it here. The spa’s also home to the Mandarin Oriental’s exercise facilities: an indoor pool and a 24-hour gym.
It’s not all rest and relaxation though, and with so many of their guests in town for work, the in-room Wi-Fi is excellent and a breeze to access.
The hotel has boardrooms and conference spaces, with 13 meeting and banquet rooms.
And in a more private setting, business travellers are well catered to at the hotel’s executive space, The Mandarin Club.
An all-day haven high above the city, The Mandarin Club lounge is open 7am-10pm.
As I was staying in a Mandarin Club Room I could enjoy full access to this exclusive executive space. It boasts benefits like boardrooms, private check-in (and out), quiet work spaces, an expansive breakfast buffet, and cocktail hour if mingling is your thing.
Food and drink: Breakfast at the Mandarin Club is a brilliant way to start the day, but there are myriad other options, with the hotel boasting nine different restaurants and bars.
Café Causette and Clipper Lounge are open all day; then there’s the jazzy Captain’s Bar, and intimate spaces like The Chinnery and The Krug Room.
Two of its eateries, Man Wah and Mandarin Grill + Bar are Michelin-starred, and the former is a must-visit while you’re staying at the hotel, with a gorgeous interior and great dim sum.
Visit The Aubrey for a cocktail and some great bar food - I tried the sando and charcoal karaage chicken.
Make sure to stop by The Mandarin Cake Shop during your stay. The madeleines - made in the hotel patisserie like all its baked goods - are heavenly.
With eclectic decor and a Japanese izakaya influence, the hotel's award-winning restaurant and bar The Aubrey is a popular spot for a cocktail.
In the neighbourhood: Located in Central on Hong Kong Island - the Mandarin Oriental looks across Victoria Harbour to Kowloon - and the neighbourhood is home to the central business district and adjacent businesses. That means soaring skyscrapers, luxury boutiques, gleaming malls and high-quality restaurants and bars.
Other sites nearby include the Hong Kong Observation Wheel (visible from Harbour View rooms), the maritime museum, ferry piers and several art galleries - all within walking distance.
For expeditions further afield, there are metro stations and bus stops a stone’s throw from the hotel, and there’s always a taxi nearby.
Accessibility: The Mandarin Oriental has rooms and facilities that cater to wheelchair users and people with disabilities and blindness.
Sustainability: Towels and bed linen are washed every other day as part of the Mandarin Oriental’s environmental sustainability strategy. It’s also working to eliminate single-use plastics across its operations.
Price: Club Harbour View Rooms can be booked from $1222 and $2177 (depending on date and availability). Prices for the rooms - including an impressive range of luxury suites - can be found on the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong’s website.
